They had been dead only for a minute before Aaran resurrected them, yet the undead goblins smell like they had been rotting away for weeks, or even months.
Aaran covered his nose, stepping back. As he did, a notification flashed before his eyes.
[Legion management function unlocked!]
+++
Legion level: 01
Current legion captain limit: 2/3 (Click here for detailed information)
Current legion footsoldier limit: 3/3 (Click here for detailed information)
Legion Commander level limit: 25
Legion footsoldier level limit: 10
Note: Upgrade the legion level to increase the limits.
+++
"But why do they smell?"
[Low-leveled undead footsoldiers release a natural foul smell upon resurrection.]
[This trait will disappear once they reach level 10.]
Aaran didn't dare sigh. The smell was unbearable to do anything other than cover his face and mouth.
At least the smell won't last forever.
Aaran could tolerate it until they reached level 10. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait for long to level them up as another group of goblins approached them.
Unlike the first group, they didn't bother talking and fired upon them.
Everything happened in a flash. Before Aaran could give them an order, the undead goblins moved on their own, rushing forward as they used their body to protect him.
Meanwhile, the hypnotized goblins remained still, waiting for instruction. That one stark difference told Aaran everything he needed to know.
While they had an unbearable odor, the undead were better than the mind-controlled goblins.
The latter required to be given explicit instructions while the undead could move on their own, given the situation.
But the smell and rotting body made it impossible for them to move in secret. The goblins also turned hostile when they noticed the undead.
However, with the mind controlled goblins, that wasn't the case.
Each group had its benefits and drawbacks. But it wasn't the time to dwell on it.
"What are you waiting for? Attack them!"
Aaran yelled at the idle goblins, who immediately rushed ahead. Their frantic charge took the goblins by surprise.
At first, they thought those goblins were hostages. But now when they attacked them, they didn't know what to do. They hesitated long enough for the undead goblins to strike.
They weren't as agile as their living counterparts, but their tenacity remained unmatched. No amount of bullets or injuries could stop them. The goblins were taken aback and before long; they got swarmed and hacked to death.
[7 mana gained from absorbing low-tier goblin soul.]
[9 mana gained from absorbing low-tier goblin soul.]
[14 mana gained from absorbing low-tier goblin soul.]
Two undead soldiers perished in the fight, too riddled with bullets to be used again. Aaran clicked his tongue in frustration. The undead should be immortal, but he chalked it up to another level restriction.
They smell bad and turn to dust after taking too much damage. This isn't as easy as I thought.
Thankfully, Aaran had mana to resurrect more.
"It requires 20 mana to raise one low-tier goblin," Aaran mumbled, scratching his chin. "At most, they provide 15 mana per soul. Hm… I'm working at a deficit here. Blindly resurrecting them isn't an option."
Aaran was learning the difficulty of being a necromancer without an inherent mana source.
There were two types of people in Elysium. Those born with mana and those without it. There wasn't a single case where someone born without mana mysteriously accessed it.
That was the case with Aaran as well.
Without an inherent mana source, Aaran can't regenerate mana. If he uses mana, it's gone forever. Hence, he had to depend on collecting souls and the charm store. Unlike the stories he heard, he had a valid reason to be stingy with resurrections.
Since they'll perish either way, it's better to save the mana for something else.
Although he said that, his mind kept changing. In the end, he continued with the hybrid model. He even wanted to tame a soul, but it seemed the goblins didn't have a strong will to manifest into ethereal forms.
[You've reached level 2!]
[A random skill will be upgraded.]
[Skill: Soul Taming upgraded!]
[An unnamed goblin reached level 2!]
Aaran raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the goblin's low progression. He had hoped after killing over five goblins, the undead would reach level 3. But that wasn't the case.
"Bad odor, slow progression, fragile bodies, and unnecessarily high cost… no wonder dad gave up as a necromancer."
Aaran shook his head, walking deeper into the dungeon.
***
[An unnamed goblin reached level 5!]
[You've reached level 5!]
[A random reward will be given.]
[Received Treasure Box x1]
"About damn time," Aaran said, crossing his arms.
Level rewards were randomized. Either he'd get a skill or trait upgrade, or a reward. Aaran had tired of receiving useless trait upgrades, since he had a way to maximize those on his own.
After killing all the goblins in the dungeon, Aaran finally got his hands on a treasure box. He had hoped to get one because the only place left to raid was the boss room.
Although the goblins around him were great, he wanted a weapon to protect himself. Since treasure boxes had an unusually high rate drop rate for weapons, he was confident to get one.
However, his joy disappeared when he opened the box.
[You've stumbled across a strange item!]
+++
Name: Cheerleader's Pom-poms
Rank: Common <-> Mythic (rate dependent)
Description: A long forgotten artifact, left behind by an ancient bard. It is said this artifact once helped defeat the fourth demon lord, Dravi.
Skill:
[To Cheer or Not To Cheer?]
— Automatically activates when the user wears the pom-poms and cheer.
— Inspired by the user's shamelessness, the allies receive a randomized stat boost between 1% and 300% for the duration of the cheer. (More enthusiastic routine leads to higher rates.)
— Baffled by the ridiculous display of domination, the enemies suffer a randomized debuff between 1% and 300%. (More enthusiastic routine leads to higher rates.)
— The effect lasts till the user collapses from exhaustion, or the enemy is defeated.
+++
…when will you, gods, stop fucking me over!?